These are the kinds of questions that a good LARP tries to answer, whether in a one-shot game or an ongoing chronicle. There are a lot of answers that can come from the LARP experience that might translate well into other styles of storytelling. There is a style of LARP known as "interactive literature" (IL), which is distinct and different from most live-combat LARP. IL focuses on the story, on characters and plots, and on creating an immersive environment.
Glassner's strongly held opinion, which he argues quite coherently, is that a great story is the product of one (or a few) expert storytellers presenting a strong, consistent vision to you, the consumer. The fabled holy grail of gaming is letting the player do whatever they want -- full interactivity. And this is to a point fundamentally incompatible with telling a great story.
A decent LARP can demonstrate the folly of this statement. IL LARPers are a notoriously creative group of players. Games that allow the players to push the boundaries of the writers' story ideas and plots can turn into amazing events. Conjunction (at Intercon 11.5) and Tabula Rasa II are prime examples of games that just blew everybody away when they were done, including the authors.
I would love to get Mr. Glassner to
an Intercon just to see what kinds of experiences are already out there. Interactive storytelling could learn a lot of lessons from the art of LARP writing.
For those who want to learn the secrets, there are occasionally Build Your Own Game seminars at Intercons and elsewhere. LARP authors get together to teach others how to write a good LARP by doing so collaboratively in 24 hours.
(Intercon MidAtlantic is the next example I know of.) These games are not necessarily trivial, either. There have been some
pretty amazing games as a result.
1. LARPs have been around since the early 80s. Actually, there are historical precedents for LARPs from much further back. However, most modern LARP communities can be traced back to roots that sprang up in numerous different locations back in the early to mid 80s.
2. LARP is not all live-combat. Ask ten different LARPers what LARP is these days, and you're likely to get thirteen or fourteen different answers. For example, the
next Boston area Intercon (the eighth) already has more than two dozen different LARPs scheduled, ranging from the silly to the serious. There will undoubtedly be a live-combat game or three added along the way, but they're in the distinct minority at the con.
WW gets far too much credit in the LARP world, and this is another case in point.
1. Ask ten different LARPers what LARP means and you'll get twelve or thirteen different answers. WW and WoD is just one of the many answers, but not, by far, the most common.
2. LARPs have been around for a lot longer than WW and the WoD. There are many LARPers currently active who've been LARPing since the mid-80s, well before WW and the WoD. (Myself included.)
3. If you're interested in the actual diversity of LARPs, check out Intercon D, the all-LARP multi-genre Live Action Role Playing convention. Intercon, in some form, has been around since before WW and the WoD as well. It's the best place in the world to learn what LARP is all about.
Slashdot Mirror
Glassner's strongly held opinion, which he argues quite coherently, is that a great story is the product of one (or a few) expert storytellers presenting a strong, consistent vision to you, the consumer. The fabled holy grail of gaming is letting the player do whatever they want -- full interactivity. And this is to a point fundamentally incompatible with telling a great story.
A decent LARP can demonstrate the folly of this statement. IL LARPers are a notoriously creative group of players. Games that allow the players to push the boundaries of the writers' story ideas and plots can turn into amazing events. Conjunction (at Intercon 11.5) and Tabula Rasa II are prime examples of games that just blew everybody away when they were done, including the authors.
I would love to get Mr. Glassner to an Intercon just to see what kinds of experiences are already out there. Interactive storytelling could learn a lot of lessons from the art of LARP writing.
For those who want to learn the secrets, there are occasionally Build Your Own Game seminars at Intercons and elsewhere. LARP authors get together to teach others how to write a good LARP by doing so collaboratively in 24 hours. (Intercon MidAtlantic is the next example I know of.) These games are not necessarily trivial, either. There have been some pretty amazing games as a result.
1. LARPs have been around since the early 80s. Actually, there are historical precedents for LARPs from much further back. However, most modern LARP communities can be traced back to roots that sprang up in numerous different locations back in the early to mid 80s.
2. LARP is not all live-combat. Ask ten different LARPers what LARP is these days, and you're likely to get thirteen or fourteen different answers. For example, the next Boston area Intercon (the eighth) already has more than two dozen different LARPs scheduled, ranging from the silly to the serious. There will undoubtedly be a live-combat game or three added along the way, but they're in the distinct minority at the con.
WW gets far too much credit in the LARP world, and this is another case in point.
1. Ask ten different LARPers what LARP means and you'll get twelve or thirteen different answers. WW and WoD is just one of the many answers, but not, by far, the most common.
2. LARPs have been around for a lot longer than WW and the WoD. There are many LARPers currently active who've been LARPing since the mid-80s, well before WW and the WoD. (Myself included.)
3. If you're interested in the actual diversity of LARPs, check out Intercon D, the all-LARP multi-genre Live Action Role Playing convention. Intercon, in some form, has been around since before WW and the WoD as well. It's the best place in the world to learn what LARP is all about.